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Movement Disorders

Millions of people in the United States suffer from movement disorders. The team of experienced medical professionals at Penn State Neuroscience Institute works with each patient to improve symptoms, reduce pain and find cures.

Care at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

What are movement disorders?

Movement disorders are a group of neurological (brain and nerve) conditions that affect a person’s ability to control movements. There are many different types of movement disorders.

Neurological expertise at Penn State Health

Movement disorders can be difficult to diagnose accurately. The neurologists at Penn State Neuroscience Institute perform a comprehensive physical and neurological (brain and nerves) examination to diagnose your condition. Our team of experts works together with you to create the most effective treatment plan.

We also have a team of researchers who are working to understand the underlying causes of movement disorders in order to develop new and better treatments.

Symptoms, Diagnosis & Outlook

Uncontrollable movements include many types of movements that you cannot control. They can affect the arms, legs, face, neck or other parts of the body.

Examples of uncontrollable movements are:

Loss of muscle tone (flaccidity)

Slow, twisting or continued movements (chorea, athetosis or dystonia)

Sudden jerking movements (myoclonus, ballismus)

Uncontrollable repetitive movements (asterixis or tremor)

Parkinson disease

Parkinson disease causes certain brain cells to die. These are the cells that help control movement and coordination. The disease leads to shaking (tremors) and trouble walking and moving. Parkinson disease is also called paralysis agitans and shaking palsy.

Symptoms of Parkinson disease

Symptoms may be mild at first. For instance, you may have a mild tremor or a slight feeling that one leg is stiff and dragging. Symptoms may affect one or both sides of the body.

Essential tremors

Essential tremors are a common movement disorder. The condition affects approximately one in five people over the age of 65.

The tremors (shaking) are unintentional, somewhat rhythmic muscle movements. Patients commonly complain of tremors when eating, drinking and writing. This condition is worsened by stress, fatigue, caffeine and some medications.

The disease affects areas of the brain that control movement, but the exact cause of the tremor is unknown.

Many people associate essential tremors with Parkinson disease, but these two conditions differ. Essential tremor patients experience the tremor symptoms while using their hands, while Parkinson disease patients experience the tremor symptoms mainly while their hands are at rest.

Tests and diagnosis of essential tremors

There is no specific test to diagnose essential tremors. Diagnosing is a matter of taking careful medical history, performing neurological (brain and nerve) examinations, and ruling out other conditions.

Neurological exams may include:

Tendon reflexes

Muscle strength and tone

Ability to feel certain sensations

Postures and coordination

Laboratory tests are also used to rule out thyroid disease and medication side effects.

Treating essential tremors

There is no sure cure for essential tremors. Patients with mild symptoms may not require any treatment.

In many cases, medications and physical measures can help control the tremors. Your neurologist will work with you to determine the proper medication and dosages. Helpful physical measures might include adding weights to hands and using heavy utensils.

If your symptoms are more severe and medicine doesn’t help control the tremors, surgery may be an option. Deep brain stimulation is a surgical procedure in which a neurosurgeon implants a neurostimulator to stop the tremors.

Outlook

Although an essential tremor is not life threatening, it becomes harder to perform daily tasks. People with essential tremors often lose the ability to do tasks like driving or going to work. These tremors also become embarrassing for some people. Essential tremors tend to worsen over time. It’s important to seek treatment to improve your quality of life.